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Goleta Leads Charge in Cleaning Up Homeless Camps

A multi-agency effort coordinated by the City of Goleta began on Monday, September 9, 2019, with the clean-up of homeless encampments, trash, and debris found within the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) owned rail corridor. The rail corridor goes through Goleta City limits, spanning just west of the Cathedral Oaks Overpass to Patterson Avenue. The clean-up effort is expected to last four days, concluding on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

Agencies assisting in this clean-up include: UPRR Police, Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, Goleta Police Department/Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, MarBorg Industries, Homeless Services within the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness, and the City of Goleta’s Public Works Department.

Vyto Adomaitis, Director of Neighborhood Services & Public Safety for the City, said, “This clean-up effort is a priority for the City of Goleta for many reasons. As confirmed by the recent Santa Barbara County Grand Jury Report on Railway Safety, the clean-up efforts are consistent with the goals to reduce fatalities, safety hazards and future fires from occurring in and around the railway corridor going through Goleta. This is accomplished by closely working with property owner Union Pacific Railroad and our allied agencies.”

Representatives from Santa Barbara County Behavior Wellness are present during the clean-up effort to offer shelter and services to homeless individuals they come into contact with.

City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “The City is making a concerted effort to holistically address the needs of people experiencing homelessness within our community and on a regional level. We are working on our first ever Homeless Strategic Plan which will be finalized by next Summer. We look forward to continuing to work with the community and non-profit partners on this important issue.”

55 Comments

High priority for Goleta = Remove garbage and stench. //////////////High priority for Santa Barbara = Remove plastic straws and every sitting bench. Goleta is The Goodland, and Santa Barbara is literally turning into a toilet.

Any bets on whether all these folks simply move to the other side of the railroad property fence? Set up beside the freeway and it's a Caltrans problem instead of a Union Pacific problem. Another major issue is the overgrown foliage around the railroad and highway 101 corridor. I fear it is only a matter of time until a fire starts in one of the encampments on a really hot and windy day. Clearing and these areas would discourage the encampments and substantially reduce the fire hazard. I would suggest cactus and really sharp agave plants for landscaping. They require no water, discourage trespassing, and they do not present a fire hazard. The lake Los Carneros park is another area where we could make a huge improvement. I suggest we clean up all the dead overgrowth in the park, make it more accessible to the community, and clear the encampments at the same time....or we could wait for nature to do it her way.

Great job Goleta!!! I love how its a multi-faceted approach with offering homeless services so these people aren't left high and dry to do it all over again. Hey City of SB, are you watching? It's your turn.